Roanapur Take II
by cyber viper42
Summary: Rock has put everything in the past to rest… or so he thought. In a freak accident while on a job to investigate a group of cultists, he and Revy are sent back in time to when Rock first met Lagoon Company. Suddenly past skeletons are coming out of the woodwork and life isn't as peachy as it once was. (WARNINGS: Violence, Mature Language & Content)
1. Prologue: Why Does This Shit Happen

**Full Summary:**

Rock has put everything in the past to rest… or so he thought. In a freak accident while on a job to investigate a group of cultists, he and Revy are sent back in time to when Rock first met Lagoon Company. Suddenly past skeletons are coming out of the woodwork and life isn't as peachy as it once was.

—xXx—

Prologue: Why Does This Shit Happen To Me?

—xXx—

"Oi! Rock, ten o'clock!" Revy ducked behind her cover as she simultaneously reloaded her two guns with practiced ease. Hearing her, Rock swung around to face the ten o'clock doorway and poured hot lead into the men storming out of the hallway.

"Thanks!" Rock shouted over the gunfire as he lobbed a grenade onto a balcony, taking it and everyone on it to the afterlife.

As the smoke cleared from the grenade, silence fell on the battle-weary Lagoon Company. Everyone else in the immediate vicinity was dead, and like the veterans they were, Lagoon Company moved further into the base with a practiced stealth.

In the five years since Roberta turned Roanapur upside down, things had been fairly business-as-usual for the four. Rock and Revy danced around each other, neither willing to admit their feelings to the other, providing Dutch and Benny never-ending entertainment. It seemed like the entire city had bets on when Two-Hands and Rock would finally wave the white flag and fuck each other.

Balalaika had called not two hours ago with a job to get more info on a group of cultists from Africa who had set up shop just outside the city. Of course things never go as planned, and soon everything came to a shootout between the two.

"Is that the last of them?" Benny asked poking his head out from the cover he was hiding behind.

"Probably not." Rock sighed. "That hallway is just screaming ambush."

"Then we'd better spring it!" Revy grinned predatorily and started for the door.

"Wait a minute Revy." Dutch's low voice rumbled through the room. "You and Rock will go in front on either side of the corridor with me in the middle and Benny behind me. Benny, first chance you get, get into their computers if they have them, and see what you can find."

"Okay boss-man!" Revy nodded her head towards Rock who nodded back, and the two swiftly and silently moved their way forward. As the four moved along, they began to hear men chanting and the further they went, the louder it got.

"Creepy…" Benny muttered as he listened to the voices echo around the subterranean tunnels.

Dutch silenced him with a wave of his hand and the four continued on until the hallway suddenly ended, and they found themselves in a wide, tall cavern. While the previous tunnels were man-made, this was purely natural. In the center, were five men in white robes sitting on a pentagram drawn on the floor. Candles surrounded them, casting eery shadows around the room.

Rock and Revy took a few steps forward to get a better view of what they were doing, but the moment Revy's foot knocked over a few pebbles, they suddenly stopped chanting. "Fuck!" Revy swore like the sailor she was and opened fire on the robed men. Instead of a few sprays of blood and lots of gore as her bullets ripped through her victims, they deflected off of an invisible barrier that surrounded the edge of the pentagram.

"That was unexpected." Dutch muttered, keeping his Remington pointed at the still-sitting cultists, he moved up to stand in-between Rock and Revy.

In a gunfight, seconds stretches into minutes as adrenaline slows your perception of time. In the fifteen seconds after Revy's bullets were deflected, the cultists slowly stood, freezing Lagoon Company unsure if they were going to pull guns from their concealing robes. Rock, Dutch and Revy tensed and fingered their triggers.

The second the cultists started to run away from them, Lagoon Company's three gunners opened fire in a hailstorm of lead, and Rock and Revy ran after them. Unfortunately they would never make it to the cultists.

Running after the Cultists in a straight line, led them over the pentagram. The moment their feet simultaneously interred the shape, the chalked out lines flared up in a light show sucking the two into it, and then vanished just as a quickly as they appeared.

"Where the FUCK did they go?!" Dutch simply watched the spot where two of his employees vanished without a trace.


	2. Chapter 1: Surprise!

—xXx—

Chapter 1: Surprise! You're In The Past!

—xXx—

"Revy?" Said woman groaned as she stirred. "Revy, come on, Dutch wants you up on deck. The ship is insight."

"Five more minutes…" Revy groaned into her pillow. Drinking yourself to the point where you hallucinate jobs is not the way to go through life.

Benny just stared at the Lagoon Company's hired gun act like a five year old. 'She really must not have gotten a lot of sleep last night.' Sighing, Benny cracked open a beer and set it next to Revy's head. Almost immediately she was up and groggily chugging the alcohol down.

"Damn it Benny!" Revy cradled her head with one hand nursing her headache. "Can you shout any louder?"

"Dutch wants you on deck. It's show time." Benny said walking out of Revy's quarters.

On auto pilot, completely ignoring her surroundings, she rummaged through the armory and pulled out her trusty M79 Grenade Launcher and bandoleer of grenades. Lighting up a cigarette she casually walked onto the deck and spotted the cargo ship the _Black Lagoon_ was speeding towards. She recognized it as the ship they 'picked up' Rock on all those years ago.

Ignoring her pounding headache, she aimed a shot over the bow of the _Malaine_.

"_Malaine…_You have fifteen seconds to shut down your engines and prepare for boarding!" Dutch's commanding voice traveled over the air waves. "If you do not comply...you will not be warned again."

In short order, Dutch and Revy were standing over a passed out Rock. "Why is he like this?" Dutch demanded.

"H-he passed o-out five m-minutes ago s-sir!" One of the crew stuttered out.

'So he didn't wake up as soon as I did.' Revy smirked. She had woken up barely five minutes earlier, leaving her to guess that was when they had warped into the past. Five years of Roanapur had changed Rock past the point of recognition. This Rock looked like the wet behind the ears Japanese business man that he came to Roanapur as, but if he had come from the future like Revy had, he'd be ready to take on the City of Vice guns blazing.

"Revy, wake our guest up." Dutch ordered expecting Revy to go get some water to splash on him, but to his surprise, she walked over and sat down on his stomach and started to smack his head with her free hand.

Within a matter of seconds, Rock was moaning and nursing his head as Revy harshly whispered at him. "We're in the fuckin' past. Act like a dumb-ass." With that, Revy dismounted and stood next to Dutch.

Once Rock was aware enough to be interrogated. Dutch partially slid the disk Lagoon Company had been dispatched to retrieve from his pocket. "Is this the disk that you received from your company headquarters?" Rock nodded and breathed a sigh of relief as Dutch announced that the ship would be free to continue in half an hour and would continue on unmolested.

"What are you getting all fucking emotional about?" Revy demanded pointing her cutlass at Rock's head. "You're coming with us!"

In a manner similar to the original timeline, Rock was aboard _Black Lagoon_ watching Revy being chewed out by Dutch about his 'kidnapping.' Dutch was one of the few people that Revy truly respected and obeyed. From what he'd pieced together from his conversations with the two, Dutch had met her in New York and offered her an escape from the NYPD who were after her and in exchange she'd work on his PT boat. They picked Benny up in Miami on their way around the world, and finally wound up in Roanapur where they quickly made a reputation for themselves.

Rock was snapped back to reality when Revy roughly grabbed his collar and dragged him to his feet. "Fine! I'll go baby-sit him if that's what you want!" a few doorways later, Rock straightened up and walked confidently next to his partner.

"So we're really in the past." Rock thought aloud. "Benny and Dutch didn't recognize me."

"You think I'd lie to you about something as fucking big as this?" Revy glared at Rock with her murderous eyes.

"No, but it never hurts to analyze the situation for yourself so that you can gather more clues." Rock replied, ducking into Revy's room, a mess like it always was. He sat down towards the head of Revy's bunk and let Revy lay down next to him, resting her head on his lap. She pulled out a Cutlass and began to field strip it, examining it and ensuring that everything was in working order. "So do you got a piece I can use until we get to Praiyachat's place?"

"Probably got something under my bunk." Revy replied. "You're too comfy a pillow to give up now. Here." She handed him her other Cutlass. "Take a look at that will ya?"

The two spent the next two hours in companionable silence, drinking, smoking, and working over Revy's pistols.


	3. Chapter 2: Shit Gets Real

—xXx—

Chapter 2: Shit Gets Real...

—xXx—

When carrying cargo the size of a CD worth 20 grand, walking into a bar best known for it's destructive patrons (*cough* Revy *cough*) might not have been the best of ideas.

Dutch mulled the current situation as he took cover in a doorway, watching the bar and it's occupants get torn to shreds by automatic rifle fire. Benny was out back warming up the car and Revy was calmly waiting for the right moment to strike as she smoked a cigarette behind Bao's bullet-proof bar counter. Rock looked remarkably calm for a salary-man from Japan, but under fire people can snap and become completely different. Dutch had seen it happen countless times to American Soldiers in Vietnam. Young men completely unprepared for the realities of war quickly died. The ones that managed to survive were never the same.

The silence following the massacre brought Dutch back to reality in time to witness Revy pull out her guns. "Rock! Cover me!" To Dutch's amazement, Rock pulled a Smith & Wesson MP 9mm from underneath his untucked white collar shirt, and opened fire on the gunmen walking around the bar trying to eliminate any of the unlucky survivors. Five went down under his methodic shooting, barely showing any emotion as he pulled the trigger. Revy jumped over the bar and reigned death down from the rafters as she seemed to hang in the air longer than she should have.

Within seconds all of the gunmen in the bar were dead.

"Let's get out of here, Revy, Rock." Dutch's low voice stirred through the gun-smoke, getting the two time travelers back to this reality. They quickly fled the bar leaving in Benny's Dodge Corvet and sped off to the _Black Lagoon_. Within an hour, they were sailing out of the bay, past the statue.

—xXx—

"Oi Dumb-ass, you awake?" Revy opened the door to Rock's room aboard the _Black Lagoon_ and crept inside, trying to not make any noise that would alert Dutch or Benny to her movements. With the engine noise, some of the quieter sounds were muffled, but with Lagoon Company so attuned to their ship, Dutch or Benny might be able to still hear her.

"Still trying to figure out what happened?" Rock's voice came from his bunk where he lay examining his new gun. It may have been the same model that he used before their inexplicable shift to the past, but in many respects it was not his gun. It felt alien in his hands, despite being identical.

He had finally picked up a gun, setting the unofficial record for the longest time without touching a gun. After Roberta's War, as it became known, the City of Vice destabilized for a time and in a pinch, Rock used one of Revy's Cutlasses to kill some thugs who had ambushed the two and knocked out the more dangerous Revy. With blood on his hands, and being forced to realize that he couldn't always count on Revy to help him, he secretly went to Praiyachat's and tried nearly every pistol until he found one that fit him. A special order, some cash, and a couple weeks later and Rock was the proud owner of a stainless steel Smith & Wesson MP 9mm. He didn't want to advertise that he was carrying like Revy did with her painfully obvious holsters, and instead carried his new gun with several magazines under his usual white dress shirt.

Going back in time with the worlds second most dangerous woman (even Revy recognizes that Balalaika wasn't a woman to anger) was not an easy task. Having her acting strange while in easy reach of her guns and booze was defiantly not a situation that Rock particularly wanted to be in.

"It's crazy shit." Revy answered Rock's question, stopping him from reminiscing of the past, err future. She walked over to where Rock was sitting up and sat down on a newly vacated half of the bed. "Dutch's already figured something's up with your shooting back at Bao's." Revy sighed. "He's smarter than most people give him credit for."

"So what's my explanation?" Rock asked. "I'm the new guy and the unknown factor in this mess."

"They got those gun range things in Japan where you come in from the street and shoot?" Revy asked, having seen similar establishments in Hawaii on her way to Roanapur with Dutch. The American paradise islands are a common vacation destination for asian tourists.

"If you look hard enough, you'll find just about anything you want in Japan." Rock replied casually. "Roanapur just makes it a hell of a lot easier to find." He sighed as he remembered the blitzkrieg war Balalaika waged on his home soil. It was the last time he had been back to the place he was raised, but after spending so much time with Lagoon Company, and especially Revy, his home was in the dirtiest city in the world. If his parents didn't think he was dead, they'd be ashamed of how he had lived his life.

(A/N From my translation, Rock's boss guy says that Rock will be reported dead and to simply lay low for the rest of his life.)

"Just tell him that you watch too many action movies and spent too much time at the ranges." Revy told Rock. "The less I'm tied to it, the better he'll react. It's too suspicious for me to really know you so well so soon, and we should have been more careful at the bar, but too late!" Revy grinned at Rock and leaned into him slightly. To most it would have seemed incredibly intimate for the hardened gunslinger to be so familiar with Rock, but their relationship simply worked that way. After Japan, the two had simply spent more time together and learned each other's quirks and tells in a way that only longtime couples or serial stalkers could.

Rock knew he had fallen in love with Revy but to mention anything of that affect, would immediately worsen or better his connection with Revy and knowing how violently she reacted to things close to her heart, he didn't want to risk anything. It was one of those things that he believed it was better to wait and see what happened in the future. There were few people in Rock's life that he truly respected. Balalaika and Mr. Chang held definite spots, with Lagoon Company led by Revy at the very top of his list. It might sound cliched, but Rock didn't love Revy for her looks, but rather the incredibly complex person under her skin. Her beauty attracted him and who she was made him stay faithfully by her side even in the worst of times. Even if she was the reason behind many of the worst times.

"You done thinking?" Revy broke the silence and answered Rock's questioning glance. "You had your thousand yard stare going full blast."

"How long till that chopper comes after us?" Rock asked. He hadn't paid too much attention to the sequence of events the last time, as he was scared for this life and too busy having a panic attack.

"Probably another hour at most." Revy replied as she stood and stretched sensuously in front of Rock. "I packed a few RPG's and heavier artillery to see if we can bring the sucker without all than pansy running away."

"Sounds good." Rock leaned back and watched Revy stretch out getting ready for the battle ahead. "If we miss, we always got the surprise torpedo-in-mid-air-launch to take it down." The duo grinned, remembering the adrenalin rush of their first successful anti-helicopter attack.

"You two sure have gotten to know each other quite well in the last day." Dutch spoke through the door freezing the duo inside.

"Aw crap." Revy muttered. "Come join us boss-man." and the large dark-skinned skipper of the Black Lagoon opened the door.

"Couldn't help but hear you two talking about a chopper and shooting it down." Dutch rumbled in his low voice. "Mind telling me how you know we've got an inbound chopper on our ass and for that matter, what Revy Two Hands is doing acting like the newbie prisoner is her best friend?" Revy and Rock looked sheepishly at the veteran.

"Would time travel explain everything?" Revy asked and to her surprise Dutch nodded.

"It would if it weren't for the fact that it's impossible." Dutch retorted, not moving from his position blocking the door, forcing the two to deal with him.

"Technically it only has to be possible in the future for time travel to be a plausible explanation for this shitty mess." Rock spoke up. "And since you don't know what happens in the future, you can't conclusively rule time travel out."

Dutch absorbed Rock's words for a moment before speaking. "That actually makes sense in a twisted way. So tell me, what proof can you offer to back up your explanation."

"The helicopter following us is a Mil Mi-24 Gunship armed with infrared air-to-ground missiles." Revy listed off several more details she remembered including the bearing the helicopter would approach from.

Dutch light up a smoke and inhaled deeply and then sighed. "I assume that you've got a plan?"

"You got it Boss-man!" Revy grinned and elbowed Rock to get him to nod in agreement.

"Then get up on deck." Dutch moved from the door and the two guns moved passed their captain and acquired a vast arsenal of weaponry from the ship's armory. Anti-tank rifles, RPG's, AK's and the occasional grenade launcher found their way up on deck in the hands of two experienced Roanapur citizens.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the roar of a helicopter could be heard over the rumble of _Lagoon's _engines. Almost immediately cannon fire started splashing around the small maneuverable vessel.

"Yo bossman!" Revy yelled into her mic. "Start the avoiding shit. I don't want to become swiss cheese." A few rockets over the bow of the _Lagoon_, and a quick increase to full throttle later; the chase was on.

—xXx—

For twenty tense minutes, the PT boat and the attack helicopter danced over the high seas of southern Asia. Rock and Revy strapped into the railings along the deck of the _lagoon_ and were busy returning fire with all manners of weapons.

"We need to get him to stay still to get a shot off!" Rock yelled over the engines, gunfire and explosions.

"YO! DUTCH!" Revy shouted into her headset, getting the attention of the captain. "Find some river or something to hide in! We need to get him standing still."

"That will make us sitting ducks, Revy." Dutch replied after getting Benny to consult several charts. "I don't want to fix any more holes than i have to."

"Dammit, Dutch!" Revy angrily shouted into the radio. "We don't have a fuckin' choice! Rock and I are only wasting ammo up here with him buzzing us like this!"

Rock grunted as he reloaded another magazine into his rifle. "At least I didn't through the guns overboard this time." He commented loud enough for Revy to hear him.

Dutch didn't reply, but turned into a river mouth and slowed down as the gunship fell back waiting for it's prey to turn around at the inevitable dead-end and return to face it's guns.

Dutch puffed through several cigarettes as he slowly steered the _Lagoon_ through the winding river channel. Revy and Rock entered the cockpit and stood silently behind the large Vietnam vet. "So what's the plan, Revy?"

"We try to get the chopper to land and capture it." Rock replied, earning a surprised glance from his partner.

"And how do you plan on getting that miracle accomplished as well as getting out alive?" Dutch demanded.

"It's impossible to fly that bird without the help of a computer." Rock replied. "I'll help Benny with the frequencies and codes he'd need to hack into it's auto pilot and then set it down next to the shipwreck."

"This presents us with the least amount of danger to the ship, and a few well placed rifle rounds would take care of the pilot and co-pilot." Rock laid out his plan in more detail with Benny who kept nodding throughout the monologue.

"So you think the two of you can do this?" Dutch asked Benny, breaking the silence after Rock finally shut up.

"If it doesn't work, we can always try a more direct approach and just shoot it out of the sky." Benny replied, not wishing to die or risk his neck if he could avoid doing so. He began to type on the keyboard in front of him, calling up the necessary software and controls to run the operation. When he had downloaded this particular program a mere six weeks before his plan had been to study how it was written, never actually use it.

To his surprise, Rock began to type on another keyboard and was able to get through his firewalls and securities with no trouble it was as if the Japanese man knew exactly what his computer setup was, but that couldn't be possible…Could it? The former salary man started entering the necessary frequencies and encryption keys into the software and in under ten minutes, the two had everything they needed to control the gunship.

"Hey Revy!" Rock called out the door. "Wanna try landing the sucker?"

"Sure!" Revy replied a little too happily and sauntered into Benny's lair, taking the joystick and keyboard away from Rock. "Hey do we have access to his comma frequencies?"

"Gimme a minute." Benny muttered as his fingers flew over the keyboard while Revy took his headset. "Okay your on."

"Attention fucked up pilot." Revy grinned predatorily. "You have pissed off the wrong fucking boat. Enjoy the last minutes of your piss poor life." With that, she hand the headset back and began flying the chopper towards where the _Lagoon_ was currently moored.

"Oi, Rock get a rifle and take the bastard out. I'll open the canopy for you." Revy grinned as she looked out the window and positioned the helicopter broadside to the _Lagoon_ to make the shots cause the least collateral damage that would reduce the value of the machine.

Revy was defiantly feeling sadistic. She set the helicopter to hover barely ten feet from The _Lagoon_. For the pilot and co-pilot, there was nothing they could do but simply swear at the tie-wearing gunman as he pulled the trigger.


	4. Chapter 3: Surprised

—xXx—

Chapter 3: Surprise!

—xXx—

Balalaika was a patient woman. As a sniper in the Soviet Army's Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska (Paratroopers), she sometimes had to wait for days to get an opportunity to kill a target which might not even show up. She was also a woman whom you didn't want to cross. Being a Captain in the army required her to assert her superiority over her male subordinates, hardening her into a vicious warrior. She projected an aura that warned everyone that she was dangerous.

Currently the head of Roanapur's branch of Hotel Moscow was waiting with the representative of the company who was paying her well for a disc containing countless secrets. Kageyama was a cold, all-business man who kept his emotions in check.

Until now.

"Where are they?" He growled in anger. He had business to conduct back in Japan, and was not pleased with the delays in recovering the Disc.

"Relax." Balalaika ordered. "The Lagoon Company have a reputation of getting the job done, no matter what."

"I care little about the reputation of a few pieces of trash." Kageyama declared, not caring about what the present company would say about his statement.

"Do not take the word of Hotel Moscow so lightly, Mr. Kageyama." Balalaika replied. "You would do well to listen to what we have to say."

The group fell into a tense silence as both parties refused to speak any further. Within five minutes, a low rumble of a helicopter could be heard.

All of Hotel Moscow instantly recognized the familiar sounds of a Mi-24 Gunship from their time in Afghanistan. They all checked their weapons making sure they were ready to shoot if they were ordered to. The gunship was flying less than 30 meters off the ground, and as it rose over the horizon, Balalaika's keen eyes spotted the _Black Lagoon_ roaring after it.

"At ease." She barked to her men who all reacted accordingly, having their full trust in the scarred woman.

It didn't take long before the helicopter made a sloppy landing—compared to the soviet military's standards—next to the docks and the assembled group. The PT boat docked with professional ease next the helicopter which was slowly powering down, and less than five minutes later, all three groups were represented at the meeting place.

—xXx—

"Quite the impressive catch you've made Dutch." Balalaika commented as Kageyama left. She approached them with a detachment of her troops as her guard.

"We had a minor problem en route so we figured that we deserved a few spoils." Dutch replied vaguely.

"I see you also picked up a pilot as well." She replied.

"Rock is a recent addition to The Lagoon Company and already has proved that he is a valuable employee." Dutch answered.

"High praise coming from you, Dutch." Balalaika stated as she approached Rock to get a closer look at the young Japanese man. "You don't look like much at first glance, but I see you already have learned a lot. Impressive growth for such a short time in our world."

"Looks can be deceiving." Rock stated, earning a smirk from Revy which did not go unnoticed by the head of Hotel Moscow.

Balalaika examined Rock without saying anything for a minute before turning to speak with Revy. "I see he has one of yours." Talking about the piece that sat in Rock's concealed shoulder holster.

"He's competent with it." Revy replied noncommittally. "At least I don't have to worry about him shooting me accidentally." Her image would suffer no matter what her reply, but it never felt wrong to insult or poke fun at Rock.

—xXx—

Rock let out a breath that he didn't realize that he was holding as Balalaika moved to talk a little more privately with Dutch.

"Nervous?" Revy asked her partner.

"More than I thought I'd be." Rock admitted. "Even after all this time, she still puts me on edge."

"Meh." Revy shrugged her shoulder. "Your not the first, nor will you be the last." She replied casually. "You made a better impression this time though."

Rock chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I did. Landing the chopper was harder than I thought it would be."

"It's a lot larger than the one you learned in." Revy replied. "It's like changing to a larger caliber. A lot is the same, but at the same time it's a whole other ball game."

"Only you would make that connection." Rock mused.

"Revy, you're sure familiar with Mr. Rock." Balalaika interrupted the partners. "Already claiming a stake?"

"Ah fuck no, Big Sis." Revy swore as she shoved Rock to the concrete roughly. "He just appreciates guns. Not many shit-heads care what their piece can do."

"More importantly, what yours can do to me." Rock muttered as he got to his feet. "That hurt."

"You want something to make the pain go away?" Revy demanded, pulling her Cutlass on the Lagoon Company's newest employee.

"No thanks." Rock replied not flinching as Revy prodded his nose with the extended barrel of her Cutlass.

"It seems that Mr. Rock has many surprises." Balalaika commented and then turned to speak to Rock. "Not many can face Two Hands' guns without flinching. I look forward to seeing what surprises you have in store for us in the future."

With that, her business was concluded and Hotel Moscow quickly left in their cars, setting up a defensive parameter around their Captain.

Dutch and Benny came closer to the time traveling duo to discuss their travel arrangements.

"How much fuel do you have in the gunship?" Dutch asked in his baritone voice.

"If we took the external weapons off, and if I flew solo, I'd make it back with a decent safety reserve." Rock answered. "It would be better if I flew at the cruising speed to get the best fuel efficiency, so I'll have to leave an hour or two after than you."

"Alright folks, let's get the rocket pods off this piece of junk and properly stowed down below." Dutch ordered as the crew of the Black Lagoon broke out their tools and began working on the helicopter. It was arduous work as the munitions were much heavier that they looked.

—xXx—

Two hours later, Rock powered up the Mil Mi-24 gunship and in less than five minutes he was airborne and an hour later he was flying over Roanapur as the _Black Lagoon_ was docking at the Lagoon Company's dry dock. There was no possible way to hide the helicopter from the denizens of Roanapur. They heard it flying over the bay, its rotors beating the air and echoing around the surrounding hills. A small crowd of people watched it land next to the Lagoon Company's docks. It would only be a matter of hours before everyone in the dark city knew about the Lagoon Company's recent acquisition.

"That's gonna attract a lot of unwanted attention." Benny grimaced as he looked at the military helicopter. "Dutch, do you think it's worth hanging on to it or selling it to Chang or Balalaika?"

Dutch gave Rock and Revy a pointed look, clearly asking the two their opinion without speaking. Revy simply shrugged, leaving Rock to answer and he wasn't too sure of the answer himself.

"It would be attractive to either organization to have a weapon system like this." Rock pondered The Lagoon Company's options, trying to figure out every possible outcome of every possible decision. "On the other hand, having it in the Lagoon Company's inventory would add considerable weight to any threats or demands we might have to make."

"Let's give her a try before we think about selling it to anyone." Dutch decided. "She looks like she can carry a decent amount of cargo, so we can use her for rush jobs."

"Sounds like a plan." Revy smiled.

—xXx—

Balalaika returned to the Hotel with a minor fanfare from all her men, but her mind was wandering to her business with The Lagoon Company. Their newest employee Rock unsettled her. It was his eyes. His eyes looked like they belonged to her men. Men who had seen war, and the worst the underworld could show them.

So why did some random salary man have those eyes? And why was Revy so familiar with him? Those questions bothered her as she had no answers. And she wanted them.


	5. Chapter 4: The New Guy

—xXx—

Chapter 4: The New Guy

—xXx—

"Oi Rock!" Revy pounded on Rock's door. "You awake shit-head?"

"It's open!" Rock shouted. "Come on in."

Surprised, Revy turned the knob and found the door open just as Rock said it was. "You know you can die from doing this, right?" Revy began to berate her partner but stopped when she saw a trip wire she was about to step on.

"I'm sure the bang would wake me up." Rock replied as he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Revy shook her head as she steeped over the trap and saw it was connected to a flash bang and teargas grenade.

"Still a softy I see." Revy grinned as rock began to clothe himself, seemingly oblivious to his company and state of dress.

"I can deal with the gas and I don't need to hear in order to shoot someone squirming on the ground." Rock replied as he deftly tied his tie and adjusted his collar.

"So ready for a little naval action today?" Revy asked. "Chin's gonna start some trouble."

Rock didn't say anything but put on his shoulder holster and shoved his pistol into it. He normally kept his pistol on his headstand during the night so that it was very easy to find at a moments notice, even in the dark. On the left side of his holster was his S&W M&P 9mm and a five inch combat knife, on the right were three spare 15 round magazines.

"You know I'm always ready." Rock replied as he poured himself and Revy a cup of coffee he had started brewing before his shower. "So when do we leave?"

"After lunch." Revy replied. "We got a couple of hours to waste before we need to be at the docks."

"I'm sure you're thinking of swinging by Praiyachat's, aren't you." Rock grinned into his coffee as he saw Revy's expression out of the corner of his eyes. "You're just that predictable sometimes."

Rock's last comment required him to avoid a swat to his head.

"Come on." Revy put her coffee cup down on the counter next to her and walked to the door. "We got to get some trigger time afterwards. If we don't leave now we won't get it."

"Fine, fine…" Rock cleaned up after his partner and quickly rinsed out both cups and left them in his sink. "Let me show you how to get out of here without tripping the door."

—xXx—

With their morning blown on guns and ammo, the time traveling duo arrived at the _Black Lagoon_ just in time to catch Dutch topping off her fuel tanks.

"I was just about to send Benny out to get you two." Dutch stated. "Help me finish getting her ready. We got a job to do."

"You got it Boss-man." Revy gave the large man a sloppy salute and went to retrieve a large assortment of guns, ammo and explosives from The Lagoon Company's armory, leaving Rock to help plot a course and pull out the necessary navigational charts for the areas they were going to pass through, just in case something went wrong.

Benny stuck his head out of his home-away-from-home and greeted Rock with a friendly wave. "Oi, Dutch I just got word that the Taiwanese Navy is going to be doubling patrols this week. The radio chatter from the locals confirms a lot of sightings and close calls."

"I guess we'll have to appear innocent and harmless." Dutch mussed. "Revy won't like that."

"Won't like what?" Revy asked as she stuck her head down the hatch, her hair falling with gravity, framing her head.

"Gonna need you to dress pretty if any Navy boat gets too close to us." Dutch answered. "Benny any idea why the Navy's out?"

"I think their radar spotted Rock the other day." Benny replied. "They've got more radar boats out than would normally be the case for a step up in patrols. But that could just be coincidence."

In the time it took Benny to answer, Revy had flipped down through the hatch and sauntered over to Rock and used his shoulder as an armrest. "We're ready to go on my end."

"Same here." Rock stated.

"Ditto!" Benny called out from his computers.

"Then let's get moving."

—xXx—

"You should have left the city while you still could Dutch!" Chin's voice came over the _Lagoon_'s radio.

"I was wondering if you'd have the guts to come after us." Dutch cooly replied and then shouted over his shoulder. "Revy! Rock! You two ready?"

"You betcha Boss-man!" Revy replied through her headset and removed the safeties from her grenade launcher and a PM-63 RAK submachine gun. A few seconds later, her headset was replaced with a pair of headphones from her cassette player and Rock could hear the music from his position in the machine-gun turret.

Rock readied his FN FAL assault rifle and focused in on the last boat. It was a tactic that he learned from an ex-American marine scout sniper who washed up in Roanapur a year after Roberta's War. If you attack the target the furthest away target, the ones in front think you're missing them.

Even with a top speed of 40 knots, the Elco-class _Black Lagoon_ couldn't outrun Luac's speedboats. As all six drew alongside the _Black Lagoon_ and began to open fire, Dutch killed the engines, causing the lead boats to kill each other.

"They're amateurs." Dutch stated. "It's common sense to stager yourself when flanking to avoid friendly fire." Dutch quickly brought the engines back up to full throttle.

With an unspoken agreement, Rock and Revy sprung into action at the same time, Revy jumping onto the nearest port-side boat, while Rock began to put hot lead into the skulls of the last starboard-side boat's crew.

"Ha! he's missing us by miles!" The new lead skipper shouted with a grin as his crew took aim at Rock, only to hear an explosion behind them as one of Rock's bullets found it's way to the gas tank of the trailing boat.

Angered at the loss of yet another crew, Luac recklessly opened the throttle more and closed the distance between him and the old PT boat. "Kill that BASTARD!" He shouted to his gunmen. They immediately pulled their triggers and found themselves coated in brain matter as Rock scored a headshot on the Machine-gunner in the bow. Too stunned to do anything but freeze in their pants, Luac's crew quickly met a similar fate.

On the port side, Revy was just finishing off her first boat when Luac managed to come to his senses and peel off from the hunt. "Rock don't let him get away!" She shouted into her headset.

"You don't need to tell me." Rock complained as he loaded a 50 round High-capacity drum magazine and switched the rifle to full auto. Bracing the muzzle underneath the railing, Rock sighted the fleeing boat and pulled the trigger. Using the railing to control the muzzle rise of automatic fire, Rock was able to put all 50 rounds of the magazine into Luac's back and the controls of his boat. The hefty 7.62 NATO round ensured that both the boat and it's owner were permanently put out of action.

By the time Rock finished reloading with a 20 round magazine, Revy had finished with her last boat and the _Black Lagoon_ pulled up along side the sinking vessel to pick her up.

"Good work you two." Dutch calmly brought the Lagoon up onto a plane again and headed for home. "Job's over."

—xXx—

"Dutch, you awake up here?" Benny asked the large man at the helm. "Haven't heard a peep from you in a few hours."

"I'm just thinking Benny-boy." Dutch replied as he lit up another cigarette.

"About Rock and Revy?" Benny asked.

"Among other things." Dutch admitted. "I have to pay attention to my employees after all."

"Revy has been acting weird since Rock she kidnapped Rock," Benny stated, "And Rock feels like he's lived among us for years. He's familiar with our quirks and handles a gun like Revy."

After a moment of silence Dutch spoke. "I think It's time we had a company meeting." Dutch slowed the _Black Lagoon_ down and shut off the engines.

"Yo Dutch we got a problem?" Revy came over the radio sounding slightly concerned.

"Get your asses inside Revy, Rock." Dutch replied. "We've got to talk a few things over."

Rock and Revy dutifully obeyed their employer and entered the cabin and stood awkwardly across from Benny and Dutch.

"As your employer I understand that you all have certain secrets and pasts that you'd rather not go telling a Fucker in town." Dutch began. "That being said, having one member of the company out on a major secret is not good for business as it puts unnecessary strain on everyone. Therefore I've decided to inform Benny about your connection. I figured it would be best for you two to tell him."

Revy didn't look terribly content with Dutch's declaration, and Rock had to give the large man credit for willingly pissing off Two-Hands. "Ah Fuck it. You tell him Rock." Revy lit up a cigarette and leaned back onto the wall in a semi-relaxed position.

"Revy and I met five years ago when she kidnapped me and brought me to Roanapur." Rock stated.

"Impossible." Benny replied. "I'd have remembered you. Dutch would've as well, and he certainly didn't recognize you a week ago."

"For whatever reason, Revy and I were sent back in time to when all four of us met." Rock stated simply. "Before you go discounting time travel, you logically cannot as the capability to travel through time only has to exist in the future for us to be here from the future."

"A twisted bit of logic, but still workable." Benny replied. "So you're telling me that you two stepped into a teleport and were sent back to now?"

"More like we stepped in the wrong spot while chasing after some weird-ass cultists." Revy spoke up.

"I doubt that you believe us—"

"No it makes sense, and all the quirks I've noticed make sense when you add that story into the picture." Benny interrupted Rock and then spoke only to him. "I don't know you very well, but if we worked together for five or so years, then you can't be all that bad."

"You should have seen this sucker when he first came to town." Revy punched Rock in the shoulder. "He didn't even touch a gun for three years. It took two wars to get him to admit he was one of _us._"

"Two _wars_?" Dutch asked, speaking for the first time in the meeting.

"One where Balalaika starts up operations in Japan, and another where a crazy FARC maid tore up a squad of American Marines and took all the major players in Roanapur to take down." Revy clarified.

"It will be some time before Roberta gets here for the first time, but she'll be less drugged up than while during her war." Rock replied. "Hotel Moscow's expansion will pose less risk to us personally while still benefiting us more financially than Roberta's bloodbath."

"So basically shit is about to hit the fan." Dutch muttered, thinking to himself.

"It would be a good idea to make sure the torpedos are ready for use for our next job." Rock stated thinking of the sunken U-boat.


	6. Chapter 5: The Truth…Well Sorta

—xXx—

Chapter 5: The Truth…Well Sorta...

—xXx—

The head of Hotel Moscow was a cold and ruthless woman who wouldn't hesitate to start a war to further her ambitions. If she thought you were against her, she was against you, inviting you to a sweet, violent and painful death.

In a nutshell, she was dangerous.

Which is why Rock was nervously standing in front of the powerful woman.

"You have peaked my interest Rock." Balalaika stated evenly. "Quite frankly I have never encountered someone like you." She opened a folder on her desk and pulled out a few papers. "I took the liberty of having a background check done on you."

"I suppose that it's not terribly impressive to you, Ms. Balalaika." Rock replied.

"On the contrary it made me even more curious about you which is why I have called you here." The scarred head of Hotel Moscow replied with a cruel grin.

"You have had no previous experience with firearms in your previous life, not even so much as a gun club membership." Balalaika started to list off the discrepancies between his old life and the skills he now possessed after being with the Lagoon Company for years. "You have no previous experience flying helicopters either real or simulation and yet you've managed to pilot a Mi-24. You've had combat experience where our very complete records don't even show any connection to even a slightly dangerous situation."

"If you are a spy or plant here for some government or other organization, you have the worst cover in the world." Balalaika closed Rock's folder with a decisive snap of her hand and entertained her fingers under her chin, staring at the young man with her cold eyes. "One word and you're dead. You know it yet you aren't afraid. Why?"

"Because then you'd never get to the bottom of your little mystery." Rock casually replied. "You are right in that I'm not what I seem, but at the same time I am."

"You should know I prefer straight answers, Rock." Balalaika stated. "I really—"

"You're going to light your cigar." Rock stated seemingly out of the blue, causing Balalaika to momentarily loose her composure, her eyes widening as the thought of reaching for her lighter crossed her mind a millisecond before Rock spoke. "I know admittedly little about your past, Ms. Balalaika, but I am far from underprepared for the life of this city. It's like waking up and finding the answers to all your life's questions are sitting in front of you, asking to be taken and understood. I have found my home, and I simply wish for life to continue unimpeded."

"You really are one of a kind." Balalaika light her cigar relaxing after hearing Rock's words. "Few have the audacity to speak in such a manor to me, and fewer are allowed to live to tell about it."

"A mutually profitable arrangement is always the preferred option in business." Rock replied. "I am not adverse to the idea of working for you through Dutch and so long as both parties realize that more money and power can be gained together, I am content."

"You insinuate that you have some power to come bargaining like this, Rock." Balalaika's cold voice returned. "I fail to see where such power comes from."

"What is worth more than military might?" Rock replied rhetorically. "Armies and businesses require a constant flow of information to survive in this world. If that information is worse than the competition, you loose. You may have an army, but you do not have all the answers, Ms. Balalaika."

The former Captain didn't say anything immediately. "You know certain things that can benefit my organization." Rock nodded affirmatively. "And I have the power capital to keep certain groups from unnecessarily affecting your desired way of life."

Balalaika blew a ring of smoke from her mouth. "You propose an exchange." She contemplated the unspoken deal in her mind, while keeping an eye observing Rock's relaxed posture and noticed his lack of visible tells. "Very well, I'm sure we can iron out the details in the future. I hear that you four have a job coming up."

"You are well informed." Rock replied simply.

"But seemingly not as well as you." The head of Hotel Moscow replied a tad irritated. "This has been a most enlightening conversation, Rock. I look forward to more at a later date."

"I wouldn't wish to get Chang angry at me, but I'm sure a few meetings would not cause much trouble." Rock casually replied as he stood and left without another word. As he closed he saw the scarred woman's eyebrows scrunch in a frown. His insinuations disturbed the woman and put her on edge.

Knowing that he was in the clear for the moment allowed the former businessman, now pirate negotiator, to stretch his neck and loosen up stressed muscles. His walk down to the Lagoon Company docks left him ready to face the next cluster-fuck that was bound to come his way.

True to his worries, he found Dutch working a dock-side crane which was holding the 20 millimeter auto cannon from the Helicopter. The dock was filled with piles of components and tools spread around the nose of the aircraft.

"Rock, glad you came back early. Bring the arm counterclockwise a few degrees." Dutch waved him towards the crane controls attached to the crane via a heavy cable. There were several controls for bringing the hook up and down, left and right, and in and out along the arm of the crane. Dutch waited until Rock had the controls in his hand before grasping the base of the cannon mount. "I need it 10 centimeters aft so I can fix it to the old mount."

The mount on the boat originally held a single machine-gun when it had left the boat yard in the later years of World War II. Decades of smuggling had seen upgrades until Dutch simplified the weaponry on the boat and swapped out a soviet, crew-served machine gun for twin fifty-caliber M2 Machine-guns from the US. While the ammunition was more expensive, the increase in firepower, and the proven weapons improved the old PT boat. In truth they were rarely needed, as Revy generally preferred the flexibility of hand-held weaponry. On the other hand, the M2's were more effective at long range and projected a fearsome image when employed against softer targets.

"The cannon is going to have a harder recoil than the M2's." Rock commented as he made the adjustments to the crane. "Have you reinforced the decking?"

Dutch bobbed his head towards a welder on the dock. "There already was some reinforcement, but I added a few supports to be on the safe side." Satisfied with the work in front of him, Dutch began to thread a dozen thick bolts through the holes in the cannon mount and through a series of matching holes on the deck mount. He had been working for hours to retrofit the cannon, and had machined an adapter from hard, stainless steel. It allowed the dis-similar mounts to be joined and let the cannon swivel.

In the three weeks after Dutch upgraded _Lagoon_'s weaponry, the Lagoon Company had only a few minor, one-day, or overnight jobs. That was until a shady call about a long-lost submarine.

—xXx—

"I'm sure you are more familiar with diving this time around." Dutch stated as he helped Rock prepare his tanks.

"A few missions and vacations helped get me comfortable with all this stuff." Rock gestured to the welding equipment and scuba gear.

"Yo Dutch!" Benny called from the cockpit. "You got a moment? I wanna go over a few things with everyone."

"Sure thing." Dutch called back. "Alright you two lets hear what Benny-boy wants to say."

The three gun-wielding members of the Lagoon Company trooped into the interior of the PT boat. Rock and Revy were mirror images of each other as the leaned against opposite sides of the room while Dutch stood across the table from Benny who had a laptop opened to a webpage with a picture of a painting.

"This is what_ The Twelve Knights Lead by Brunhilda _looks like." Benny started. "Our client is a collector of Nazi artwork and this sub is supposed to have carried the painting from Germany, on it's way to Japan. Unfortunately they ran across the entire US 6th fleet and were sunk. Last year a French company discovered the wreck while laying underwater cables and found that most of the ship still had air in it.

"We'll go in thru the forward torpedo tubes and weld them shut then open the bulkhead that's holding back the water." Revy stated the plan in a bored tone. "Let's get going Rock!" She kicked off the wall and started for the door.

"Hold on a minute Revy." Dutch's voice held her back. "We need to talk about why Rock wanted the Torpedo tubes checked over."

"Our client hired a second organization to retrieve this painting." Rock said. "If you guys stay directly over the U-1324, you can force another ship away from this point. If you are going to sink another boat, it would be best to ensure that nothing lands on us while we're underwater."

"Benny, you'll need to broad cast that recorded Navy chatter from the buoys we dropped, ASAP." Rock instructed the Lagoon Company's computer wizard. "It will make our ruse as a Taiwanese PT boat more effective."

"We'll fire at anything that comes within 1500 yards of the sub with the 20 mm cannon from the chopper, and sink anything that comes within 1000 yards with a torpedo." Dutch vocalized the surface action plan should, or rather when, another boat came within sight.

"Fine, now that we all know what's going to happen, let's get going Rock!" Revy grabbed Rock's wrist and marched him over to their tanks and fins. in short order, Rock and Revy slipped below the surface.

—xXx—

"Hey Dutch!" Benny called out from his computer room as he gathered his portable radio so the two topside members of the Lagoon Company could recline on deck.

"What's up Benny?" Dutch asked from the galley, pulling a six-pack

"We got a radar contact, 10 miles out and coming right toward us." Benny replied as he started to run analysis programs on the radar signature. As his instruments interrogated the incoming ship, he gradually raised the volume on his bootleg Navy transmissions.

"Looks like Rock was right again." Dutch muttered to himself. "I'll go pack up what we broke out already." He called back to Benny.

Benny didn't say anything in reply as he busily entered commands into the _Black Lagoon_'s onboard computers. The programs he started running came back showing a large vessel with a large superstructure. It classified it as wither a research vessel or fishing boat. Seeing as there wasn't any fishing in this area of the South China Sea, it had to be a research vessel, which usually had the capability to use a small sub.

On deck Dutch finished storing the deck chairs and umbrella and began to prep the cannon. Originally the _Black Lagoon _sported a single .50 caliber, M2 machine gun on the conning tower. After acquiring the Soviet Mi-24, Dutch took one of the two 20mm canons from the gunship and mounted it on the foredeck, using a custom-made adapter. It hindered his view while driving, but the added firepower was worth the tradeoff. It fired at a rate of 120 rounds a minute and Dutch had added a box on the side that held 50 of the large shells. Firing in three round bursts it was both accurate and delivered a lot of lead.

Dutch loaded a full compliment of explosive ammunition and keyed in the sights to 1500 yards. "You in uniform yet Benny?" Dutch asked over their onboard short-range radios.

"Just a minute," Benny replied, "I still have to get the flags out."

The next couple of minutes were a scramble for the remaining crew of the _Black Lagoon_ as they prepared their ship to look like a Taiwanese Naval vessel. On the horizon, a large ship steadily grew larger.

—xXx—

150 feet underwater, Revy and Rock quickly moved through the german U-boat, remembering their last visit to the underwater grave. Rock still didn't feel right taking the medals of the crewmen, but at the same time he realized that once they were done here, they would be completely lost to time as their exit would likely flood the ship with corrosive sea water.

"How much do you think the family of these guys would pay for their medals?" Rock asked his partner.

Revy grinned. "You're learning, Rock. But how the fuck could we ID which skeleton the medals came from?"

"At worst we just take the Captain's picture and medals." Rock replied. "It wouldn't be impossible to find his family, and having evidence of their grandfather's last moments would be nearly priceless. The other medals we take could be sold off if we can't find the family."

"The guns would fetch a good price." Revy contemplated.

"Why do you think I brought these diving bags?" Rock asked as he opened his back pack to reveal large thick waterproof bags that could carry a large volume of stuff.

"I like how you think Rock." Revy grinned, grabbing the bag Rock offered her and started filing it with all the weapons she came across, mainly pistols and rifles, with the occasional sub-machine gun. By the time they reached the resting place of the Captain and the SS officer, Revy's bag was nearly bursting at the seams.

Rock spent the trip collecting more sentimental items like medals and hats from the officers. He had enough space in his bag for the painting and a few other items that were still in good condition and could be easily sold to collectors. Rock took a lot of pictures using a high-resolution underwater camera, documenting from where on the ship the items were taken from.

"Do you have the case for the painting?" Rock asked Revy, who wordlessly handed him the bullet and water-proof hardshell case. With the skill of a surgeon, Rock extracted the delicate painting from the SS Officer's leather bag.

A few moments of grabbing items later, Rock and Revy trucked back to where they entered the sub. "If we weld this door closed, we could keep everything preserved." Rock said as the began to don their Scuba gear.

"You sure you want to waste the time to do that?" Revy asked. "Those Neo-Nazi fuckers are going to be here before too long."

"I'd rather make it possible to recover the bodies if some deal ever gets made by the government." Rock replied.

"You're still a big softie, aren't you Rock?" Revy sighed as she handed Rock the wielding unit. "Just make sure we have enough to cut our way out."

"Thanks Revy." Rock appreciated Revy letting him soothe his conscience even just the tiniest bit. In short order Rock had secured the bulkhead and began to cut a hole through his patch on the torpedo tube. Practically the moment he put the cutter to his patch, water began to jet in. Rock stood back and put his mask on and began to breathe from his tank. When water completely filled the compartment, Rock completely cut off the door to the torpedo tube and they made their exit.

On their rise to the surface, they paused at the normal decompression levels to prevent the compressed nitrogen in their blood stream from turning into gas and leaving them in unimaginable pain.

Looking straight up, they saw the _Black Lagoon_ with it's engines idling, ready to make any evasive movements necessary.

—xXx—

Dutch and Benny watched as the vessel came within two miles of the sub.

"Pass me the radio Benny." Dutch commanded. As soon as he got the microphone, Dutch cleared his throat and spoke into it. "Attention, unidentified research vessel. You are about to enter waters restricted by the Taiwanese Navy for military exercises. If you continue your course you will be fired upon without further warning. I repeat, you will be fired upon if you come any closer."

"You think they'll buy it?" Benny asked.

"Only one way to find out." Dutch replied as he hung up the microphone. "Man the gun, Benny, and aim for the bow."

"Your seem to be acting alone, where is your mothership?" An arrogant voice came over the airwaves, interrupting Benny chambering the first 20 mm shell.

Dutch angrily snatched up the microphone. "That is classified information. Turn to heading 320 and proceed out of the immediate area. If you continue on your present course you will be sunk."

"I'm ready up here Dutch!" Benny called out.

—xXx—

"After analyzing the radio transmissions in the general vicinity, it appears that this ship is not acting alone as we had first believed!" A man in a Nazi uniform reported to his commanding officer who sat behind a large desk surrounded by images of Hitler and the Third Reich.

"Then we shall have to be swift and decisive in our efforts!" The commander rose to his feet in excitement. "Prepare to launch a powerful strike upon the degenerates who dare to defy our glorious mission!"


	7. Chapter 6: The Red Bath

—xXx—

Chapter 6: The Red Bath

—xXx—

"Uh…Dutch?" Benny stared at the inbound vessel. "They ain't stopping. They're doing something on the deck. It looks like they are setting some thing up."

Dutch put his binoculars to his eyes and stiffened. "Benny start shooting at the Bridge. Disable that ship. We can't let them get in range to use their TOW missiles."

Benny didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger pouring hot lead into the unprotected boat. Even from over a mile away, Benny could see the smoke rise from the bridge with his naked eyes. A few seconds later, he slowly swept his fire down along the side of the ship, targeting all of the TOW missiles and their crews. Dutch stood next to hatch with his binoculars keeping a carful eye on the ship, ready to rush to the cockpit and put the ship into motion at a moment's notice.

"YO DUTCH!" Both Dutch and Benny jerked in surprise as they heard Revy's voice. "We're ready to go once you've finished showing off your new toy to those Nazi fuckers!"

Dutch looked to the stern of the _Black Lagoon_ and saw Rock and Revy pulling large waterproof bags on deck. "I thought we were getting a small painting." Dutch called out to them as he walked back to the hatch to the cockpit.

"There were some nice souvenirs that were just begging to be taken along." Revy casually replied as she dumped her tanks into an on-deck storage locker.

"Well alright then." Dutch moved into the driver's seat and shifted into gear.

"Dutch, the ship is still moving towards us." Benny reported over the radio.

"Rock, are these bastards worth a torpedo?" Dutch asked as he heard Rock enter the cabin.

"Not really." Rock replied. "There are a lot of civilian crew onboard. It would be better to just board them and take the fucking Nazi's out with small arms."

"That would put us at risk." Dutch thought aloud, weighing his options.

"It's what we did last time." Rock replied. "The only difference now is that Revy isn't nearly as rabid, and you've got another gun. We came in under the cover of night on the dingy and went topside on the bow."

"Hey, Benny, you see anyone up on deck?" Dutch asked.

Benny peered through his binoculars, scanning for any sign of life aboard the ship. "The deck around the missiles is completely red…There's a ton of bodies there, Dutch. I don't see anyone moving on deck."

"Should we wait until nightfall to go aboard or go now." Dutch asked Rock.

"As long as we've got someone covering us on the 20 mm, we should be able to get aboard easily enough." Rock replied, thinking over their options. "That would mean that Revy and I boarded while you and Benny covered us from the _Lagoon_. It wouldn't be much more dangerous for us to go alone."

"Get the dingy ready." Dutch ordered. "I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

—xXx—

An hour later, Rock and Revy motored closer to the seemingly abandoned ship. They swapped out the ten horsepower gas motor for a smaller electric one that would run quieter. Even if they were covered by the 20 mm, the less noise they made, meant the possibility of a safer interdiction. They spent over twenty minutes tensed in the rubber dingy, not moving their attention from the ship, looking for any combatants. Revy lay in front of Rock with an H&K G3 assault rifle ready to shoot at return fire if needed. They would rely on Benny seeing or hearing any shots and to open fire to keep them from getting killed in their exposed position.

Twenty tense minutes later, Rock and Revy slipped over the side and landed on the deck of the Nazi vessel with their pistols drawn. Parts of bodies lay strewn across the deck where Benny's 20 mm rounds had torn through the men. If Rock hadn't been in the thick of Roberta's war, and the following power plays, he probably would have emptied his stomach on deck. Being a veteran of Roanapur had its advantages, despite the mental scarring it caused.

"Start upstairs, Rock, kill all the fucking Nazis." Revy ordered. "I'll go below and we'll meet in the middle."

"Leave the crew alive Revy." Rock replied as he started up the stairs to the bridge. "We don't need any real authorities coming after us."

"I'm not that bad anymore Rock." Revy replied before entering the superstructure. "Not with you around…" She muttered to the cold steel walls.

—xXx—

Rock met zero resistance as he climbed the stairs up to the bridge. Coming to the door, he put his ear up against it and couldn't hear any voices. As silently as he could, Rock opened the door and peered inside. It was abandoned.

"Revy, do you copy?" Rock asked into his radio.

"No one's up there right?" Revy replied with a question.

"Right." Rock sighed.

"So where the fuck are they?"

"I'll disable the controls up here and then we can just rig this thing to explode." Rock replied. "It won't matter if they're onboard or not then."

"Copy that, Rock Baby." Revy replied, letting Rock practically hear her grinning. "You sure know how to make a girl happy don't you?"

"I try Revy." Rock retorted and grabbed a fire ax and started to smash the control panels after locking the doors behind him. It didn't hurt to take precautions. Within a minute, there was absolutely no way anyone could pilot the ship from the bridge and Rock drew his pistol and slipped out of the bridge and began to prowl the superstructure. He found absolutely no one. As he worked his way deeper into the ship, he carefully checked all the corners, and searched every room for the crew.

"Revy, I got no one. Where are you?" Rock asked, after closing the door to the room he had just searched and cleared. Instead of hearing her voice thru the radio, he heard muffled gunfire erupt from below him. Abandoning caution, Rock raced to the stairwell and slid down, the adrenaline pumping through his system harder than any time previous in his life.

Sliding to a stop five levels below, Rock whipped out his pistol and began pumping hot led into the back of the nazi's attacking Revy's position. Caught in the an accurate crossfire, the men were quickly torn to shreds, drenching the floor with blood and brain matter.

"Revy! Are you okay?" Rock called out.

"I will be as soon all these fuckers are dead!" Revy growled as she limped out from her hiding spot holding her left shoulder in pain. "One of those fuckers," she spat on one of the dead bodies, "got me from behind."

Rock took off his shirt and tore a strip from the bottom where the most material was and began to fashion a makeshift bandage for her. "We'd better get this show over with. Did you find any crewmen?"

Revy nodded. "Warned them to get the fuck off this fucking ship. I got the fuel lines in the engine room set to blow with a remote on the Lagoon. I hid them well enough that no one should be able to find them."

"Then lets get out of here." Rock tied off the McGyvered bandage and took point as they cautiously climbed up to the main deck. On their way they met no resistance, and only saw the occasional crew member scurrying along to collect personal items before abandoning ship.

—xXx—

With her hurt arm, Revy had some trouble shimmying down the rope to their dingy, but in the end she made it and collapsed into the bow wincing as the bullet in her shoulder moved around from the motion of her body. "You've done enough. Just sit tight." Rock started the motor and they began to move in the direction of the _Black Lagoon_. "Hey Dutch!" Rock spoke into his headset, "Can you come pick us up? Revy got hit and i don't want to stay in the area any longer than needed."

"Sure thing Rock." Dutch's deep, calm voice came back over the radio. In short order, Revy was getting some treatment below deck on the _Black Lagoon_ and Rock had deflated and stowed the dingy in an aft compartment.

Walking below deck to check on his partner, Rock grabbed the detonator for the charges and entered the _Lagoon_'s impromptu medical room. "You wanna do the honors Revy?" Rock asked, offering her the detonator.

"I have to see it go down Rock." Revy replied as the winced. Dutch was trying to be as careful as possible while extracting the bullet, but every once in a while, he poked something a little too hard for Revy's comfort. "Damn it Dutch! Could you try to be a little careful?"

"It's been a while since I've had to patch anyone up." Dutch replied. "Just be happy that I'm not amputating your arm."

"You'd get a fucking bullet in the your crotch if you tried any shit like that, Bossman." Revy growled. A metallic plink, and Revy was officially bullet-free. A few minutes later, Dutch had disinfected the hole, sewn it up and bandaged her shoulder, and the lady of the _Black Lagoon _was ready to blow shit up.

With a little help from Rock, Revy made it up on deck and without much pre-amble set off the explosives. A column of fire and smoke erupted from the rear of the ship right at the waterline. In five minutes, the research ship was almost entirely underwater. As the deck sank bellow the surface, the blood and gore created by the 20 mm floated on the surface of the water, giving the sea a red tint. Almost immediately, Rock could see sharks approaching the sinking ship, drawn in by the scent of blood.

"All right people, let's get going. I don't want to stick around for any Navy ships that are coming." Dutch sighed, lit a cigarette and pushed the throttles to their cruising level and turned towards Roanapur. Up on deck, Rock and Revy shared a smoke in silence, watching the column of smoke billow up from where the ship sunk.

After their eventful painting retrieval job, the Lagoon Company needed a break. Dutch splurged a little of their payment on a trip to Yellow Flag which, naturally, involved a drinking competition between Rock and Revy and a couple of bottles of Bacardi 151.


End file.
